A Home Destination
Soon after they moved into their town of Evans home in 2017, Jim and Jackie knew they wanted to create a destination for family gatherings.
In 2021, while the country was still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, they began to transform three acres of open land behind their home into an oasis replete with a custom in ground pool, hot tub, tri-level deck, outdoor kitchen and bar, and five-hole putting green.
The couple’s vision stemmed from the kind of life they wanted for their sons, ages 9 and 5, one filled with unhurried time with extended family and friends and a variety of activities of the analog variety. “The WiFi doesn’t work well near the pool,” Jim said with a laugh. “That’s a good thing.”
Even with pandemic slowdowns, the work and new decor was completed late last spring (2022). The family has since hosted everything from birthday celebrations to baby showers to barbecues.
“We live for the summers in Western New York,” said Jackie, who grew up nearby. “With both boys having summer birthdays, it seemed natural to build a pool and adjacent recreation areas.”
Colley’s Pools and Spas installed the amazing pool that features a waterfall, slide, and grotto. A hot tub is attached to the pool on a small deck. From there, you can step out onto the putting green or enjoy a meal prepared in a full galley kitchen, which is situated inside a pool house, transformed from a former one-car garage. It includes a bar with indoor and outdoor seating and storage for pool supplies and toys.
“We really wanted a space where, if we didn’t want to come back into the house, we didn’t have to,” Jim said. “Everything is outside by the pool.”
The family can also enjoy cooler evenings with two firepits, one on the upper level and one on the lower, making it a three-season space.
For the patio furniture, they worked with Ashleigh Corcimiglia, manager of Arthur’s Home Furnishings in Orchard Park, New York.
The couple selected a brown dining set near the pool made from a hardwood material that looks like teakwood but weathers much better, Corcimiglia explained, along with a curved modular sectional made from a synthetic gray wicker to wrap around one of the firepits. Polywood pieces, including chaise lounges and bar stools, in black with blue cushions, and Treasure Garden umbrellas throughout complete the seating areas. “All the furniture can stay outside year-round,” Corcimiglia said. “It’s very durable.”
They also worked with interior designer Sherry Reed Morse, who they hired when they built their house.
“She helped me pick out the color palette and finishing touches, including the ‘spectrum indigo’ umbrellas and matching chair cushions that complement the earthy tones of the furniture,” Jackie said. “She also selected the granite in the pool house, the cabinets, the gray walls, and the timeless and durable porcelain tile flooring.”
Jackie said their plans for the outdoor space, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic, snowballed to the point that now, when they’re at home, they don’t want to leave.
“We’ve played together more since we created this space, and even sitting down to a meal has been simpler,” she said “It harkens back to the days of less hustle and bustle and more family time.”